Fengzhen, joint command post of the Mongolian Army.
Unlike the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region, which was full of fighting spirit, the atmosphere in the Japs' war conference room was extremely solemn at this time, and every staff officer's face showed that he was facing a formidable enemy.
They must go all out in this battle, after all, the Eighth Route Army is not a simple opponent.
If we continue to hold on to the idea of conquering the world with one division, the Mongolian Army is likely to follow in the footsteps of the First Army.
Just as everyone was preparing for the meeting, a communications soldier suddenly broke into the room, and then lowered his head and reported to his superiors: "Lieutenant General Nishihara, Lieutenant General Yano, there is an urgent call from the headquarters."
"Um?"
Urgent calls mean something big has happened, which is usually not good news.
It is now during the war, and the sudden telegram can only mean one thing, and that is that there are new developments in the Second Independent Mixed Brigade.
After a while, Issaku Nishihara took the message from the soldier in front of him with a very tangled mood, and began to read it carefully.
"Why."
"I really don't know what the Eighth Route Army is doing. Don't they have bombers and a lot of artillery? Why can't they even defend strategic locations like Tianzhen and Yanggao?"
"Sure enough, our ideas are still a bit whimsical."
Even at the last moment, Nishihara Issaku did not want to take the initiative to attack.
The reason why the old Japanese have the above thoughts is not because their conscience is still intact, but simply because they have no confidence in this battle.
His cavalry group was not full strength. He had managed to replenish two regiments some time ago, but was trapped and killed by the Eighth Route Army's Marine Regiment in the Houtao area.
The remaining troops alone cannot pose an effective threat to Datong.
The sixteen-meter-wide city wall seemed like a chasm that could never be crossed.
This is why the staff held meetings for several days and still could not come up with a plan.
There was no air superiority, and the troops lacked heavy artillery. It is really difficult to attack a city with only infantry, cavalry and a small number of armored troops.
Nishihara Issaku's soliloquy made the staff in the conference room full of questions. They didn't know the little thoughts of their general, and now they just felt that the scene was a bit strange.
It was obvious that the friendly forces fighting together had won a great victory on the flank, so why did the superiors look so unhappy?
After adjusting his emotions, the old devil helplessly said to his colleagues around him:
"Yano-kun, we are in trouble."
"Wanquan requires our two units to launch an attack today and use the shortest possible time to break through the defense line set up by the Eighth Route Army in the Datong area to create favorable conditions for subsequent attacks."
"Violators will be dealt with according to military law."
"Why!"
Hearing this, Lieutenant General Yano Otozaburo of the 26th Division also turned into a bitter melon face.
From the beginning of the war in 1937 to the present, we have always suppressed the Republic of China troops in terms of firepower.
After all, the industrial strength of the two sides is not at the same level at all. Bullying a comprador group that relies almost entirely on buying equipment is not a matter of hand-holding.
Even the Eighth War Zone, which had defeated the Locust Army many times, could only rely on clever tactics to gain a temporary advantage. As long as one's own forces are crushed, the enemy can be defeated in a short time.
But now the situation has completely changed. The Tubal Army, which only dared to fight guerrillas before, has been strengthened to an epic level.
Judging from the battle report of the Zhongtiao Mountain battle, the opponent's firepower was several times that of the Locust Army with the same force. What a fart!
If the opponent didn't have heavy artillery, I'm afraid the Kwantung Army would have to move.
If given the choice, Otonzaburo Yano would like to retire on the spot.
After all, the current mess in Jin Province and Suiyuan area is simply not a task that ordinary Class B divisions can handle. Anyone who encounters it will have to admit that they are unlucky.
In the original plan, he and Nishihara Yice were prepared to forcefully drag him away in Fengzhen.
Although we don’t know when the base camp will issue a specific statement, there are various signs that the empire will definitely take big actions by the end of the year.
As long as it can be delayed until December, they may be able to withdraw their troops legitimately, and they will not have to worry about the war in North China in the short term.
But who would have thought that the independent second brigade would have an unimpeded journey, and the vanguard had even approached the Julebao area. The friendly forces were so powerful that the cavalry group and the 26th Division had to take action.
"Martial law, a good military law."
After reciting a few words, Yano Otonzaburo showed a hint of madness in his eyes, as if he had made some kind of determination.
"The matter has come to this, you and I can only do our best! In the next battle, we should not consider the casualties and the loss of supplies. We must win Datong in one go."
"The worst case scenario is death! I want to see how powerful the Eighth Route Army in North China is!"
Even a dog will jump over a wall when he is anxious, let alone a Japanese lieutenant general who has been in the army for many years.
In the current situation, Jutaro Amakasu and Neji Okamura are determined to put the 26th Division and the cavalry group on the fire.
If you fight, you still have a chance to live.
If you don't fight, your superiors will definitely force you to commit seppuku.
In the situation where extending one's head is a sword and shrinking one's head is also a sword, Yano Otonzaburo decided to go completely crazy.
As if infected by the spirit of his colleagues, Nishihara Issaku also put away his hesitant expression. He looked firmly at the staff officers in the combat conference room.
"Okay! Let's fight then!"
"Pass my order! Contact the Army Air Force in the rear immediately and have them all set off to attack Datong!"
"Hi!"
······
Three hours later, Datong.
"I didn't expect that the headquarters and the border area would actually agree to Lao Nie's battle plan. It's really crazy."
As soon as the combat meeting ended, the tiger in the forest walked out of the command post accompanied by the guards. Hearing his division commander's complaints, the guard platoon leader nodded subconsciously.
Although using the deputy division commander as bait will definitely drive the invading Japanese into madness. The enemy will even launch a pursuit at all costs, and you can definitely achieve the goal of luring the enemy deeper.
But the risk is not small, after all, anything can happen on the battlefield.
If nothing else, just talk about the person in front of you.
As cautious as he is, he might as well have been accidentally injured by "friendly forces" on the battlefield.
If something goes wrong with the deputy division commander, it will be a heavy loss to the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region and even the entire Eighth Route Army.
"Hey, I have to let him go this time."
"But with Lao Nie's strength, there shouldn't be any accidents."
In fact, the reason why the headquarters and border areas agreed to use army reorganization experts as bait is very simple, that is, they have absolute confidence in their own troops.
Take the Air Force as an example. Once the Japanese pursuit forces bite too hard, the First Air Division can immediately dispatch hundreds of fighter planes of various types to cover it.
In the basin, close support aircraft are the biological fathers of infantry, artillery, and tanks. As long as they are dispatched a few more times, it is not impossible to wipe out the entire cavalry group.
What's more, the Army reorganization experts are also veteran comrades who have experienced many ups and downs over the years.
Coupled with the tailor-made tactical arrangements given to him by his staff, he would be able to successfully achieve his goal of luring the enemy deeper with caution.
During the conversation, everyone had arrived at the central section of the city.
Looking at the various foxholes, machine gun bunkers, barbed wire fences and bunkers, the tiger in the forest sighed involuntarily.
"These years have really suffered for the people of China."
"If everything goes well, we can regain Suiyuan after this battle, and even Hebei and Chahar may be captured."
“There’s a long way to go!”
Four years ago, the devils extended their evil hands to Shanxi. Those crazy invaders once caused more than 40 murders around Datong.
Among them, there were five cases involving more than 1,000 people and six cases involving more than 100 people.
The most serious case was the Datong Coal Mine, where tens of thousands of workers were murdered and thrown into so-called mass graves.
When the comprador group was vulnerable and the elites of the Republic of China were talking about surrender, the people of Shanxi told the invaders with practical actions:
As long as you can't kill me, we can stand up again from the terrible mass graves, from the ruins of no man's land, from the ashes after the three lights, and raise the sickle and hammer in our hands to fight you to the end.
Although most of the common people have not read books and are not as knowledgeable as a capitulationist with thirty-six doctorates, they are always resisting with all their strength.
How can we forget the hatred between family and country?
It is for the above reasons that the people in the city almost unconditionally support the work of the Eighth Route Army, and they even want to go to the battlefield to fight the enemy in person.
Except for those who met the evacuation criteria, the masses actively participated in the defense work.
They not only organized spontaneously to destroy the roads and railways between Fengzhen and Datong, but also recruited more than 5,000 workers to join the team of building fortifications.
Private chambers of commerce have not lost their way, and businessmen from all walks of life are actively donating materials.
Among them, the biggest contributors were the timber dealers from several surrounding counties. Together they sent 1.2 million pieces of high-quality timber, which greatly accelerated the construction of the outer positions of the city.
Some people donated door panels and even coffins from their homes before the evacuation.
Everyone knows one thing, that is, family and country are one. If the Eighth Route Army is defeated, all these assets that cannot be taken away will become the enemy's spoils.
Rather than being snatched away by the devils, it is better to use it to resist.
It is precisely because of the unity of the army and the people that the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region was able to build a defensive fortification around Datong in just twenty days.
Just as the tiger in the forest was preparing to line up the city wall with the guards, the portable communicator on his waist suddenly rang.
"Master! Come back quickly!"
"The Japanese Army Air Force is about to attack! The battle is about to begin! Army reorganization experts are waiting for you in the air raid shelter under the command post!"
At the same time, a harsh air defense warning sounded in the sky above Datong.
Woohoo!
At this moment, the tiger in the forest was not pretentious. He immediately led the guard platoon and rushed towards the command post.
······
Since Huanghe has not used scientific research slots to develop radar station-related technologies, the current early warning function of the Eighth Route Army is still very primitive.
In order to ensure that major cities and airports are not attacked by the Japanese army aviation, the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region has deployed a large number of hidden sentries at the commanding heights at the junction of the enemy and ourselves.
Whenever an enemy or enemy aircraft is discovered, comrades will use the radio to notify their superiors as soon as possible.
Datong is more than 50 kilometers away from Fengzhen. Taking into account the Type 97 fighter jets of the Japanese Air Force, the soldiers of the anti-aircraft artillery unit have at least ten minutes to prepare.
If the Japanese can send agents into the city to infiltrate, they will find that the entire Datong is densely covered with anti-aircraft firepower.
The Tigers in the Forest divided the entire city into four air defense command areas. Each area was garrisoned by an anti-aircraft artillery regiment, and they each established their own headquarters.
Whether inside or outside the city, the 25 and 37 mm anti-aircraft guns on every anti-aircraft artillery position were camouflaged, and even the gun crew members were concealed in accordance with the requirements in the manual.
These anti-aircraft artillery units have only one mission, and that is to hold off the enemy's various types of fighter planes before the First Air Division arrives on the battlefield, minimizing losses as much as possible.
Fifteen minutes later, the hum of a piston engine sounded in the northern sky.
Through the telescope, the commander of the anti-aircraft artillery regiment deployed on the frontal defense line saw the enemy.
About two squadrons of Type 97 fighter jets, escorting a squadron of Type 97 fighter jets, were flying from the northwest toward Datong's airspace.
This situation made Captain Liu's eyes light up.
Their regiment was deployed on the frontal battlefield. In addition to being responsible for air defense, they also fought part-time as infantry and tanks.
Although the essential task of keeping the anti-aircraft gun flat is great, it is also nice to occasionally hit enemy aircraft. After all, after the whole group received the equipment, this was the first time they faced off against the Japanese Lu Hang.
"coming!"
"There is no heavy explosion of 97, they are all relatively fast single-engine aircraft!"
"All artillery crews, don't be nervous, just fire according to the level we trained at! Don't forget to measure up in advance!"
As the regimental commander's voice came out from the communicator, the soldiers of the anti-aircraft artillery regiment stared at the rapidly approaching enemy planes with their eyes, waiting for an order to open fire.
Tens of seconds later, more than fifty Japanese planes finally arrived at the outskirts of Datong, about three thousand meters above the ground.
"beat!"
"Air defense battery! Full alert!"
With an order, bursts of continuous and extremely dense artillery fire echoed across the battlefield.
Each artillery crew has a clear division of labor and strives to maximize its firepower.
The entire anti-aircraft artillery regiment divided the airspace on the frontal position into nine areas, with a reinforced company responsible for each area.
The sky was instantly filled with orange-red tracer ballistics, and clusters of black clouds kept blooming around the enemy aircraft like sharks smelling blood.
If it were night now, maybe it would be a bit like seeing the German three air defense towers.
It stands to reason that such a rigorous layout coupled with a stealth-breaking attack will definitely have a pretty good effect.
But at this time, something ridiculous happened on the battlefield. The Japanese seemed to have predicted the operation of the anti-aircraft artillery regiment in advance. They began to raise their altitude as soon as they were attacked.
Only two Lucky Ones were hit, and they fell towards the northern suburbs of Datong with black smoke, and were about to turn into lighters in the air.
(End of chapter)
